Department for Education

Oak National Academy

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have provided to Parliament to allow effective scrutiny of the decision to establish the Oak National Academy.

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the judicial review of the establishment of the Oak National Academy being granted permission to proceed.

Baroness Barran: As an integral part of the process to establish Oak National Academy (Oak) as an arm’s length body, the department produced a business case that included an assessment of potential market impact following engagement with stakeholders, including the education publishing and technology sector. This was published in November 2022, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case.During the set up of Oak, Parliament was sighted on progress through two written ministerial statements, laid in both Houses. On 5 July 2022 a statement was laid giving notice of a contingent liability for the issuing of an indemnity in respect of forming Oak as an arm’s length body (HLWS174, HCWS179). On 5 September 2022 a further statement was laid notifying Parliament of a Contingencies Fund advance to enable Oak to commence activity from 1 September (HLWS271, HCWS277).As part of the wider Public Bodies Review programme, a review of Oak will take place in 2024. This review will act as a checkpoint to ensure that the organisation is acting effectively and will include consideration of the effect on the commercial curriculum resources market.In establishing Oak as an arm’s length body, the department is taking action to tackle teacher workload, improve curriculum expertise, and ultimately improve education. It is right that the government takes steps to achieve this, whilst being careful to strike an appropriate balance with the interests of the thriving commercial curriculum and publishing markets. It is therefore disappointing to see commercial organisations, and those who represent them, trying to block this support to teachers. The department will be defending the legal challenge. The department is unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings and cannot speculate about the outcome of the claim.

Apprentices: Taxation

Baroness O'Neill of Bexley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Apprenticeship Levy funding is used in its entirety rather than being returned to His Majesty's Treasury.

Baroness Barran: The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. The levy is enabling the department to increase investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, encouraging more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices.In the last two financial years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget was spent. Where large employers do not make full use of their levy funds, the department reinvests this money to support apprenticeships in small and medium-sized employers who do not pay the levy. It is therefore important that the apprenticeships budget remains ring-fenced to support the demand by employers for high-quality apprenticeship training.To make it easier for employers to make full use of their levy contributions, the department has created flexible training models, such as flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible for employers. The department has also improved the transfer system to make it easier for levy paying employers to find other employers who wish to take on new apprentices with transferred funds.The department has worked with employers to develop over 680 high-quality apprenticeship standards, and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education will review the content of 100 apprenticeship standards in sectors like construction and healthcare by the end of December 2023, so they reflect the latest technological developments.The department is also providing an additional £40 million over the next two years to support degree apprenticeship providers to expand and help more people access this provision, on top of its £8 million investment in 2022/23.​The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people in schools and further education colleges across the country through its Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme, and UCAS are expanding its service to allowing students to search for and apply to apprenticeships alongside degrees.

Apprentices: Vocational Guidance

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of careers advice in increasing the number of apprenticeships taken on.

Baroness Barran: There is encouraging evidence that careers advice is increasing young people’s awareness of apprenticeships and other technical options. In the 2022/23 academic year, 92% of schools reported that most students had information about the full range of apprenticeships. 86% of schools reported that most students had meaningful encounters with further education colleges. In a 2021/22 survey of 35,000 young people, responses show that awareness of apprenticeships doubles from 39% in year 7 to 81% by year 11.There is some evidence that increased awareness can, in turn, lead to higher take-up of apprenticeships. In 2021/22, analysis found that uptake of apprenticeships was 16% higher in the schools that provided information on apprenticeships to most or all of their students compared with the schools that provided information to a small minority.The government has introduced a range of measures that are driving this increased awareness of apprenticeships and technical options and giving them parity of prestige with academic routes.On 1 January 2023, the strengthened provider access legislation came into force which specifies that schools must provide at least six opportunities for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to speak to all pupils, during school years 8-13. In addition, the department actively promotes apprenticeships and T Levels in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge Programme (ASK). The programme has reached over 3 million students in the past eight years, as well as over 230,000 parents and 100,000 teachers.For post-18 options, the department has partnered with the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), which has expanded their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including apprenticeships. From 2024, students will be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees on UCAS, developing a one-stop-shop for young people to find the right option for them.The department is also promoting ‘Career Starter Apprenticeships’ suitable for young people looking for their first role after leaving full-time education. Get the Jump, a digital campaign provided by the National Careers Service, brings together all the different education and training pathways open to young people at post-16 and post-18. The campaign helps to support informed choice.

Students: Per Capita Costs

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government in real terms what was the average per student funding for further education colleges in (1) England, and (2) Cornwall, (a) this year, and (b) for each year since 2005 for which figures are available.

Baroness Barran: Since the 2020/21 academic year, the department has made significant increases in funding per student for 16–19 year-old education. The 2021 Spending Review made available an extra £1.6 billion for 16-19 education in the 2024/25 financial year compared with 2021/22.In July 2023, the department announced that it will be investing £185 million in 2023/24 and £285 million in 2024/25 to drive forward skills delivery in the further education sector. This funding will help colleges and other providers to continue to deliver high-value technical, vocational, and academic provision needed to power economic growth and prosperity. This investment will be delivered via core 16-19 year-old funding, including through boosting programme cost weightings for higher-cost subject areas, as well as increasing the per-student funding rate. This investment is on top of £125 million the department announced in January 2023 for 16-19 education in the 2023/24 financial year.In October 2023, the government announced that, in the future, students retaking English and mathematics GCSE while studying at Level 2 or below will attract the same funding that those studying at Level 3 already receive.The department does not record the real terms changes to funding as requested and therefore does not hold this information.The table below uses the published 16-19 funding allocations to derive the average funding per student, in both England and Cornwall from 2014/15 and the subsequent nine academic years, in cash terms. This includes all 16-19 funded students, including those in further education colleges, school sixth forms, and other types of provider. The figures are not available for 2005/06 to 2013/14.Average total programme funding per student[1] EnglandCornwall2014/2015£4,432£4,2002015/2016£4,489£4,3262016/2017£4,488£4,3962017/2018£4,514£4,3932018/2019£4,504£4,4102019/2020£4,516£4,4472020/2021£4,958£4,7832021/2022£4,994£4,8782022/2023£5,469£5,3212023/2024£5,923£5,779[1] This calculation only includes institutions that have students receiving total programme funding. Some institutions receive only high needs funding – their students are not included in this calculation. The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). This resulted in £1.34 billion of investment in the 2023/24 Funding Year.In 2023/24, the government has devolved approximately 60% of the AEB to 9 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents, allocation of the AEB to providers, and for reporting funding in devolved areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas. In ESFA AEB areas the department applied a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision (excluding associated learner and learning support) in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years. In addition, the department also applied a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision in 6 sector subject areas: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and Mathematics and Statistics.Spend by the department on further education is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports. The department is unable to provide average funding per learner as funding is determined by a combination of factors including funding rates, funding formulas, earnings method and support funding.

Primary Education: Per Capita Costs

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average real-terms, per-pupil funding for primary schools in (1) England and (2) Cornwallin each year since 2005.

Baroness Barran: The table below provides per pupil funding units from 2013/14 to 2023/24, which represent the funding provided by the government for schools in Cornwall each year.The school funding system changed significantly between 2012/13 and 2013/14, which is when the schools block was first introduced. The department does not have comparable data for primary schools from 2005 to 2012/13.From 2013/14, the department has supplied data on the “schools block per-pupil unit of funding”. This covers both primary and secondary schools together. The department does not have separate data for primary pupils for this period.The funding system changed again in 2018/19 when the National Funding Formula (NFF) was introduced. With the introduction of the NFF, funding was provided by reference to primary and secondary schools separately. The table below shows both per primary and per secondary pupil funding amounts.The scope of the per pupil figures pre and post-2018 in the table below are not directly comparable. In particular, the central services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/19, and instead funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.The figures in the table below are provided on a cash basis. The department also published real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level which does not distinguish by phase. The department used the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels. Further information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics, and the GDP deflator can be found online at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/school-funding-statistics-methodology.  YearDSG  Unit of FundingEnglandCornwall2013-14Schools Block per-pupil Unit of Funding£4,550.54£4,396.582014-15Schools block per-pupil unit of funding£4,555.02£4,396.582015-16Schools block unit of funding£4,612.11£4,464.042016-17Schools block unit of funding (SBUF)£4,636.43£4,467.432017-18Schools block unit of funding (SBUF)£4,618.63£4,428.262018-19Schools block primary unit of funding£4,057.87£3,957.13Schools block secondary unit of funding£5,228.74£4,992.962019-20Schools block primary unit of funding£4,098.82£3,989.71Schools block secondary unit of funding£5,294.78£5,030.282020-21Schools block primary unit of funding£4278.92£4,218.40Schools block secondary unit of funding£5495.88£5,187.282021-22Schools block primary unit of funding£4,610.68£4,573.43Schools block secondary unit of funding£5,934.86£5,623.442022-23Schools block primary unit of funding£4,731.72£4,751.53Schools block secondary unit of funding£6,100.01£5,784.422023-24Schools block primary unit of funding£4,954.27£4,988.31Schools block secondary unit of funding£6,421.94£6,117.31The NFF takes account of a wide range of factors that affect the costs schools face, including the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the sparsity factor. This recognises that some schools are necessarily small because they are remote and do not have the same opportunities to grow or make efficiency savings as other schools, and that such schools often play a significant role in the rural communities they serve.In recent years, the government has made changes to the sparsity factor which have seen the total amount allocated, nationally, increase from £26 million in 2020/21 to £97 million in 2023/24. In 2023/24, 108 of Cornwall’s 268 schools (40.3%) are in receipt of this funding. The change in Cornwall’s schools’ sparsity funding over time is illustrated in the table below:Financial YearTotal Sparsity Funding Allocated to Cornwall Through the NFF2018/19£1,094,8682019/20£1,144,8282020/21£1,161,3412021/22£1,884,7612022/23£4,196,3072023/24£4,265,424Note: In financial year 2022/23 the sparsity calculation was changed

Education: Finance

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate additional fundingin the period2025–30 tosecondary and post-16 education providers to address the lag before the new National Funding Formula takes effect.

Baroness Barran: As confirmed in the Implementing the Direct National Funding Formula (NFF) government consultation response, published in April 2023, the department remains committed to introducing a ‘direct’ NFF in which individual schools’ budgets are calculated by reference to the national formula, rather than via 150 local formulae. This will require a new legislative framework and the government plans to bring the necessary legislation forward in a future parliamentary session. The government consultation response can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1153128/_Implementing_the_direct_national_funding_formula_government_consultation_response.pdf.Under the NFF, as it operates now, schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census. This is known as a ‘lagged’ funding system and operates in this way to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning. It is particularly important in giving schools that see year on year reductions in their pupil numbers time to reorganise their staffing and costs before seeing the funding impact. Where schools are experiencing significant growth in pupil numbers, local authorities can use the growth funding they are allocated to support schools to manage the increase in pupil numbers before the lagged funding system has caught up.The direct NFF, once introduced, will continue to base funding for schools on the previous October census. As such, there will be no change in the operation of this aspect of the funding system.The NFF is not used for post-16 funding. The 16-19 funding formula also uses lagged student numbers as a basis for funding allocations. Subject to affordability, additional funding is made available to institutions delivering 16-19 education (including up to 24 for those with high needs), to support them with additional costs if they have higher than expected student recruitment. Each year the department reviews the early data from institutions and award in year growth payments. For the 2023/24 academic year, the department is publishing the rules for calculating in year growth awards early, providing a guarantee that growth will be funded based on departmental rules, giving certainty to providers to aid with their financial planning.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Windsor Framework: European Convention on Human Rights

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made ofthe impact that withdrawing from theEuropean Convention on Human Rightswould have on the Windsor Framework.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government remains committed to a human rights framework that is up to date, fit for purpose, and works for the people of the UK. We have a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations.

Home Office

Visas: Skilled Workers

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany Global Talent Network visas have been issued to date.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany Global Entrepreneur visas have been issued to date.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) India Young Professionals Scheme visas, (2) Entrepreneur visas (Tier 1), (3) Investor visas (Tier 1), (4) Global Talent visas, and (5) High Potential Individual visas, have been issued to date.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office publishes data on Entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ which can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseGlobal Talent visas issued to end of September 2023 = 8,707 main applicants with a further 6,380 dependantsEntrepreneur visas issued to end of September 2023 = 10,213 main applicants, with a further 16,451 dependantsIndian Youth Mobility visas issued to end of September 2023 = 1,956Investor visas issued to end of September 2023 = 5,104 main applicants with a further 8,785 dependantsHigh Potential Individuals to end of September 2023 = 3,062 main applicants with a further 419 dependantsGlobal Talent Network and Global Entrepreneur figures are included in the Global Talent and Entrepreneur respective responses above.

Immigration Controls

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) strengthen, and (2) protect, the UK's borders.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office priority will always be to keep our citizens safe and our borders secure and we will not compromise on this.Border Force officers work tirelessly to protect our borders at 140 sea and airports right across the UK, working closely with law enforcement agencies to share intelligence.The Home Office has a clear long-term vision to transform the UK Border.This includes making visible changes to security, flow and passenger experience by harnessing new technical solutions for automation and focusing Border Force Officers' expertise on high harm cases.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address fuel poverty in rural areas, bearing in mindthat many rural households are not on the gas grid, in the winter of 2023and 2024.

Lord Callanan: We are supporting rural homes and homes off the gas grid through targeted energy efficiency schemes including the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Home Upgrade Grant. The Home Upgrade Grant delivers energy efficiency upgrades to low-income households living in the least energy efficient homes off the gas grid. The Warm Home Discount scheme provides low-income and vulnerable households across Great Britain, including rural areas, with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill. This year, low income or vulnerable rural households may also be in receipt of the £900 Cost of Living Payment which is being paid across three instalments.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Women

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with sports governing bodies on the availability of female-only categories of competition that exclude all males.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government has discussed the Sports Council Equality Group’s guidance on transgender participation with sports governing bodies on multiple occasions.When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear a way forward is needed that protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.It is ultimately for all individual sports’ national governing bodies to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations, whilst making sport inclusive for all.

Football: Women

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Football Association about the implications for fairness and safety for women in football of their policy developments on the inclusion of transgender people.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Football Association has previously attended a roundtable meeting about participation in sport by transgender people, hosted by His Majesty's Government, where we set out the position below.When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes that fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.It is ultimately for all individual sports’ National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations whilst making football inclusive for all.